He joins editor in chief Adam Rapoport and senior editor Julia Kramer during this year's Chicago Gourmet to talk about, well, all of that. In case we didn't make it clear: Bayless is kind of a big deal in Chicago. In fact, when he won Top Chef Masters, he became such a hometown hero that he wasn't allowed to walk around the dining room of his own restaurants because he was disrupting service so much; everyone wanted to talk to him. And he throws that love right back to Chicago. Bayless claims that Chicago's Mexican food is the best in the country, and can even give L.A. a run for its money.

More intel: Bayless doesn't read all of his reviews, but makes sure someone on his team does. And, if he had to choose, he'd go carne asada over carnitas (yup). There's way more:

Take a listen here, on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.